No one knows us better than our Creator. Therefore, to know the truth, even about ourselves, we go to the One who formed us and breathed life into us in order to learn about who we are and what purpose we have (Genesis 2:7).
MANKIND IN GENERAL
Desiring God | John Piper (Medium). He says it well in the first paragraph. “This is a serious book about being happy in God. It’s about happiness because that is what our Creator commands: “Delight yourself in the LORD” (Psalm 37:4). And it is serious because, as Jeremy Taylor said, ‘God threatens terrible things if we will not be happy.’” You can get the free pdf here.
The Bondage of the Will | Martin Luther (Advanced). Martin Luther’s response to Erasmus is a great work covering the slavery of man in sin and the need for God’s grace alone for salvation.
The Truth About Man | Paul Washer (Medium). A biblical study guide that takes the student through the various things about Mankind that make him in absolute need for Jesus Christ.
Biblical Manhood & Womanhood | John Piper & Wayne Grudem (Medium to Advanced). If you are going to get one book on the theology of gender, get this one. Comprehensive in scope, faithful to the text, and highly relevant for a day when the distinction between men and women is continually blurred. Get the free pdf here.
What’s the Difference?: Manhood and Womanhood Defined According to the Bible | John Piper (Easy). Adapted from a chapter from the book mentioned above, John Piper explores answers to questions such as: What does the Bible teach about true manhood and womanhood? In what ways are men and women essentially the same? In what ways are they essentially different? And how do these differences affect our roles in the home, the church, and the wider society?
ABOUT MEN SPECIFICALLY
The Masculine Mandate | Richard Phillips (Easy). With ease and clarity, Phillips lays out a biblical vision to which all men should strive to meet.
What He Must Be If He Wants to Marry My Daughter | Voddie Baucham (Easy). Voddie lays out a beautiful picture of what men should want to be and what kind of men women should seek to marry.
A Guide to Biblical Manhood Paperback | Randy Stinson & Dan Dumas (Very Easy). “How to serve your wife, how to mold men through baseball, how to make men in the church and more practical theology for cultivating men of God who are doers of the Word for the sake of the Gospel.”
ABOUT WOMEN
Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild | Kassian (Easy). I highly recommend this for all women wanting to grow in godliness and for men wanting to get a grasp on what kind of traits to look for in a potential wife.
Becoming God’s True Woman | Nancy Leigh DeMoss (Easy). A collaboration of fantastic chapters written to encourage women to recover what the feminist revolution has robbed them of: the God-given beauty, wonder, and treasure of their distinctive calling and mission.
Lies Women Believe | Nancy Leigh DeMoss (Easy). “Satan is the master deceiver and his lies are endless. And the lies Christian women believe are at the root of most of their struggles.” Nancy exposes those areas of deception most commonly believed by Christian women — lies about God, sin, priorities, marriage and family, emotions, and more.
A Woman After God’s Own Heart | Elizabeth George (Easy). How does a woman follow God and seek His heart in every area of her life–her husband, her children, her home, her walk with the Jesus, and her ministry to others? George gives some great answers.
A Pilgrim's Friend 